


Coming Home

by punkstealer



Series: Endgame Fix-it [1]
Category: The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Avengers: Endgame (Movie) Spoilers, Bonding, Bucky helps Peter in the soul stone, Father-Son Relationship, Fix-It, M/M, Peter Parker Has a Family, Peter Parker Needs a Hug, Pre-Bucky Barnes/Tony Stark, Pre-Slash, Protective Bucky Barnes, They aren't father and son but it's that type of bonding
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-28
Updated: 2019-04-28
Packaged: 2020-02-08 17:42:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,505
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18628120
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/punkstealer/pseuds/punkstealer
Summary: *Endgame spoilers/Fix-it*Bucky finds Peter inside the Soul Stone, but he blames Shuri and T'Challa when he finds himself taking the teenager under his wing. They don't know what's going to happen and Bucky isn't going to let Peter face it on his own.





	Coming Home

**Author's Note:**

> This is part one of a series, because fuck Endgame, and the ending of this fic does go into the end of the movie. So this will contain spoilers!

Peter aches in a way that he hasn’t in a long time, since before he was Spider-Man, it’s sorta like when he would get sick and his whole body would get stiff and sore. Y’know, he didn’t really miss this feeling.

“Kid,” there’s an annoying tapping against his cheek and he tries to turn away, but he can’t. “You alive, kid?”

“Nghhh.”

Peter finally manages to turn his head away, and big mistake, because he suddenly feels dizzy. Not in the fun roller coaster way either. Someone’s grabbing his shoulder and roller him over just in time for him to get sick.

“You’re not the only one feeling like that, kid. It’ll pass in a minute.”

There’s a hand rubbing his back, it’s probably meant to be soothing but as the memories filter in Peter can’t help but tense up, he needs to get up. Where is Mr. Stark? The person talking _definitely_ isn’t him and that’s the last thing he remembers.

“Where…?”

“You have to speak up, kid?”

Peter manages to get his arms under himself, after he’s done dry heaving obviously because that would be embarrassing otherwise, and push himself into a semi-sitting/laying position. Everything is still fuzzy to look at, but it’s easy to separate the sky from the silhouette beside him. He squints his eyes and it doesn’t help. At. All.

“Mr. Stark?”

“What? No, I’m-”

“Where’s Mr. Stark?” Pete’s throat feels raw and his voice doesn’t sound any better. “Thanos stabbed him and then everyone was gone. He needs help. He needs _me._ ”

“Woah, calm down. I’ll help you look for him, but we’re still trying to figure out who’s all here.”

“Where’s here?” His eyes – _finally_ – adjust and he can feel the shock hit him like a ton of bricks, because this is not the same planet he was on before. Instead of having the red dirt and sand stretched out as far as he could see, there were trees. Living and green trees! There was no crashed alien ship – the landing was just a little rough, okay – and there was definitely no Mr. Stark sitting above him. “This isn’t the same planet! We can’t leave him up there by himself, he already doesn’t like it because of the whole New York thing that happened, an-and.. and”

The man drags him into a hug, with the side of Peter’s head pressed against his chest, and gives him a comforting pat on the back. But it doesn’t change anything and Peter can feel the world closing in on him.

“I need you to breathe with me, okay? Come on: In, one, two, three, four, five, six, seven. Hold, eight, nine, ten...”

Peter greedily sucks in some air; he didn’t realize his lungs were screaming for it until now.

“Feeling better, kid?”

“Peter,” he finally breathes out. “My name is Peter.”

“I’m Bucky,” the man lets his hand drop from Peter’s back as he starts to pull away.

“Wait, I know you!” Peter is suddenly sitting up by himself as his eyes flick around Bucky. “You got a new arm! That is awesome, dude.”

Bucky’s lips turn up gust the slightest as Peter gushes over the new arm. The black and gold colors a complete contrast from the other silver one. “Come on, we’ll figure something out.”

-

It had be T’Challa’s idea to try and find a way to organize all of the people. Bucky had been more than happy to just go off into the woods by himself and just live out his remaining days there. There wasn’t really a point anymore, was there? Thanos won and they’re all dead or _something_. It was Shuri who put her foot down with his moping. So it’s really her fault that he’s in this position.

“-and look! There’s even a heater installed. Mr. Stark showed it to me after I was sort of, accidentally put into some water. There’s even a tracker, so, y’know, but Karen isn’t responding anymore so I don’t think she came with me.”

Bucky doesn’t even want to know who Karen is and what she has to do with the suit’s tracker. The teenager seems to deflate as he talks about Stark. It’s something that he just keeps taking about; Bucky’s not sure if he’s doing it to torture himself or because he’s worried. It’s probably a mix of both.

“So, Mr. Barnes- I mean Bucky,” Peter stammers then clears his throat. “What do we do now?”

He raises an eyebrow before looking around them, at all of the plants and trees surrounding the group of people that Bucky’s brought back to T’Challa. There are so many different answers he could give, but he’s at a loss to what to pick.

“I mean, Mr. Stark clearly didn’t come with me and I don’t know if my aunt..”

“I know,” Bucky sighs as he places his hand on the kids shoulders. “I don’t know, Pete. We’ll figure something out though.”

“Excuse me, did you say Stark?” Bucky knows the voice instantly, but Peter is still trying to get his footing in this new place and didn’t hear anyone approaching. “Because I’ve wanted to speak to him for ages.”

“Peter this is Shuri. Princess,” he winks at the scoff she gives him. “This is Spider-Man.”

“Princess? Woah, this feels like one of those movies where the princess goes in disguise and meets regular people. Have you seen anything like that, Bucky?”

Shuri has a grin that Bucky has some to associate with trouble. It’s a look that he’s too familiar with.

“This old man doesn’t even know what a movie is. He’s been too busy with his “mental health’” Shuri scoffs while giving Bucky a softer smile, “My brother has mentioned something about a spider boy in Germany. So tell me, how did you get your powers?”

“It’s, uh, Spider-Man. And really? Well-”

Bucky sent a prayer up to whatever God was listening and snuck awhile while the two teenagers started talking.

-

“Hey Bucky.”

Bucky’s seen some weird shit while being alive, okay? He’s not afraid to admit that he almost jumped when he heard Peter’s voice coming from the roof of their small cabin. What kind of demon-possessing, spider just casually hangs out on the ceiling?

“What?”

“Shuri told me about your arm and I was wondering-”

“No.”

“Oh okay, well maybe next time!”

Bucky was going to regret the day that those two bonded.

-

It’s only been a couple of days since they woke up here; however, it’s been a couple of very exhausting days. All the enhanced have been working together to try and make some temporary shelters for everyone.

“What are you doing out here?” Bucky sits down in the dirt next to Peter. The kid has dark circles under his eyes, but refuses to sleep.

“Do you think about the people we can’t help?”

“Well, I try not to.” Peter’s brown eyes look at him, it’s almost like he’s trying to see into Bucky’s soul and he doesn’t want him to see that, and so Bucky turns his own gaze up toward the starts. “Why?”

They sit in silence after that. Both of them looking at the night sky, but Bucky knows that they aren’t really taking it in. His thoughts are too preoccupied with home and wondering what sort of trouble Steve could be getting in. While Peter’s probably thinking about his own people that are left back home. He’s mentioned a few friends: Ned and MJ; however, his main point of conversation is always revolving around his aunt and Stark.

Peter’s even tried to bring up Germany a few times, but Bucky shuts that shit down immediately.

“You know,” Peter finally breaks the rising tension, “back home I was just the friendly neighborhood Spider-Man. I made my own suit, but I can’t really sew that well so it just looked like pajamas. Then Mr. Stark came and he _made_ me this suit and I-I just thought I could be more.

But I started lying and trying to do things on my own and Mr. Stark took the suit back from me for awhile – gave it back later with some improvements though – and then I thought I couldn’t be a hero anymore; that I wasn’t anything without the suit. Mr. Stark though, he, oh man, he told me that if I wasn’t anything without the suit then I shouldn’t have it. But I have it now so he clearly things I can handle the responsibility of it, right?”

Bucky doesn’t say anything, it’s not like Peter’s really expecting a answer, but the kid is just getting more wound up with each passing second. Emotions aren’t really something he’s good with handling and especially not after the Winter Soldier fiasco.

“I don’t think I deserve it, Bucky. There are people who need my help, Mr. Stark needs my help, and I can’t do anything.”

He slings an arm around Peter and drags him close; doesn’t say anything when he starts to shake against Bucky’s shoulder. It’s been a long time coming for the kid and there’s nothing he can really do besides ride it out with him.

“Stark would be proud of you. You’re holding it together better than a lot of people are right now and he wouldn’t want you to blame yourself for something you didn’t do, okay? You’re a great hero, Spider-Man.” He holds Peter tighter as he begins to truly cry. The sobs are wracking him and he’s holding onto Bucky’s shirt like it’s a lifeline.

Bucky just lets the kid cry it out as he looks up at the stars again. He may not know Stark, but that doesn’t take the truth away from his words; he’d be proud if he could see Peter right now.

-

“Shuri said- ow!”

Bucky deeply regrets letting those two talk. Sure, Peter can, mostly, hold his own against Shuri, but they are gossips. Which leads to Peter pestering him for information about things that are none of his business.

So he’s resorted to carrying pebbles in one of his pockets and whenever Peter opens his mouth to let those dreadful words out – Shuri said – he flicks one of them at him.

It only words some of the times.

-

Bucky wasn’t prepared for the literal wizard that walks out of a glowing yellow circle. And why is he not surprised that Peter is excited about it? That kid is going to be the death of him.

“Doctor Strange! What are you doing here?” Peter gets up from his spot by the fire and is in the new comers persona space.

Bucky is quick to follow and ready to yank the eager kid back if he needs too.

“It’s time.”

Peter has his mouth open, ready to fire off more questions, but Bucky is the one to beat him to it, “Time for what?”

The man – Doctor Strange apparently – gives him a dry look. His eyes are guarded and he looks ready to leave at any moment. “It’s time to go back home. It’s been five years and Stark is going to be needing us any minute.”

“Five years?” Peter’s voice is raised in alarm and his eyes are impossibly wide.

“What the hell are you talking about?”

Doctor Strange gives Peter a nod in answer to his question, which throws Bucky through a loop because it’s only been a couple of weeks for them, and then looking at the small group forming around them. T’Challa and his warriors already armed and ready for a fight.

“There was only one possibility that they would be able to save us and they are doing it now. Get ready.” He does something with his hands and suddenly there are yellow circles opening up all around them. There’s something on the other side of it, but Bucky can’t make out what it could be.

Peter already has his mask pulled down. Apparently trusting whatever this guy is going on about.

-

The war, because that’s what was on the other side, was already beginning when they stepped through. Steve looks at them all in shock, but the relief is so clear on his face too. It’s easy to jump back into it, it’s almost like no time has passed at all, but he’s always keeping an eye out for Peter.

Bucky does his best to follow after him when he has a hold of the gauntlet and is swinging off with it. As soon as the aliens turn around to chase after it Bucky is right there to put bullets through their heads. He did not make sure that kid survived while they were – dead? On a different planet? He doesn’t know – stuck just to let him die within the first hour of being back home.

He’s too far away, but he can see what’s happening. Stark putting on the gauntlet and then snapping – just like Thanos did all those ~~weeks~~ years ago – and then it backfiring. There are burns traveling up his arm, sparks shining bright under the armor, and covering the left side of his face. Bucky tries to push himself faster, but it’s too late.

“Mr. Stark, Tony, please don’t go.”

Peter is there and he’s trying to hold onto Stark, but the man is already fading. Someone in similar armor flies down, face mask sliding up to show a red headed woman, and she’s gently taking Stark from Peter.

“It’s okay, Tony. You did a good job; everyone’s safe.”

Bucky is there to pull Peter into his arms but the kid is fighting back. Tears are already leaking from his eyes and it’s only a matter of time before he dissolves into a sobbing wreck.

“Friday?” He can barely hear the electronic voice that answers the redhead. “Activate Final Round.”

“Ms. Potts,” Peter finally pushes himself free from Bucky and crashes down in the dirt beside her. His hands are shaking as he grabs onto Stark’s uninjured arm. “He can’t- he can’t, okay? You’re going to be fine, Mr. Stark.”

The light on his armors chest, shining around her hand that she placed to cover it, flickers out and Peter starts to sob. Heart-wrenching whimpers are coming from Peter, but he tries to hold them down as he leans over to press his forehead against Stark’s stomach. The light flickers back on and shines brighter than it did before it went out.

“Pete?” Bucky is crouching down to grasp his shoulder. “Look.”

It takes too much effort for Peter to sit back up, but when he finally does he lets out a loud gasp. His glossy eyes are looking between the light and the redhead – Potts – and she’s looking back at Peter.

Whatever Peter sees on her face – the relief and hope shows so clearly that is hurts – seems to calm him, because in the next instant he’s leaning back to rest against Bucky.

“Oh, thank God,” fresh tears are rolling down Peter’s cheeks and Bucky just pats his back.

The kid will be alright.

**Author's Note:**

> Scream with me on [tumblr](https://www.tumblr.com/blog/buckyusuallytopstony)


End file.
